Chatty Snowflakes
Vancouver was hit by a very brief blizzard yesterday, just after we headed out for exploring. There were only a few unassuming flakes falling as I was locking the door. Methinks ... oh this is going to be a walk of fairytales. We got a couple blocks before i realized I had forgotten my phone, and so we turned around and retraced out steps.
The day was quite cold, so I also took the opportunity to grab another sweater for myself and a pair of long underwear for Minime. The thing I am finding about teenage boys is that they shun warming clothes, like they are a tutu and pair of flash eyelashes ... that is the way with my boy anyway. So I put the underwear in my purse, just in case. Getting him to wear a hat had been work enough. Well this time as we emerged outside to play with the elements, the elements had not just ante'd up but gone all in. The flakes had told two friends and they had told two friends and so on and so on. And GEE ... the wind joined in too.
By the time we got up the West End hill, everyone looked like they were auditioning for Jack in the last scene of the Shining
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The wind was blowing too strong for any fairy-like flying. No fairyland snow fall. It was head down and trudge forward. Minime's pants were covered in the white stuff and likely to become soaking wet given the chance. Urbanfare was a couple blocks away and he relented and put on his long underwear in the public washroom. It was inclimate enough for him also to submit to a scarf. Fortified with a few woolies and a couple warm drinks, we were feeling confident wnough to once again brave the frigid and flaky weather.
Our original goal had been to grab a bus and explore Deep Cove in North Vancouver, but knowing what I know about the Lower Mainland's traffic during the first snowfall, I made the executive decision for us to stay on our feet, much to Minime's chagrin. He was looking forwards to doing something new. So once I tamed his teen wrath, we instead took a hard right and headed across town, the Granville Street Bridge, and over to Granville Island.
We made a slight detour to Les Amis du Fromage to get a few cans of my favorite olives on the Earth. Olives stuffed with anchovies from Europe, first discovered by me at a truck stop in France, is gourmet dining in Canada. We also grabbed a couple pieces of charcuterie to snack on and fuel our polar expedition to Granville Island. It was a lovely mosey. Many of the Christmas lights were still up, and really covered in snow is the best way to look at festive lights.
We finished off our snack at the market and then walked along the water and took in more of the remaining seasonal lights. So pretty. It was a hard slog back across Burrard Bridge. The snow-splattered street lights were not so pretty with windchill. Not much easier for the cars stuck in traffic. We weren't much slower on our soles.
Turned out it was a stroke of wisdom to avoid the roads. The vehicles of Vancouver, without winter tires, were no match for the skating rinks that the side roads had become.
The snow had stopped but the temperature were continuing to dive. We were grateful for the rare snow walk, but just as pleased to be back home surrounded by central heating and insulated walls.
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